Variable Data Printing vs Static Printing: The Real Cost Difference
A print shop quoting a 10,000-piece mail campaign can price it in two different ways, and the quote sheet rarely explains why. Run one static plate and print 10,000 identical postcards, and the per-piece cost is about as low as printing gets. Swap in variable data printing, and every recipient’s name, offer, and image can change piece to piece, but the price per piece goes up. Whether that premium is worth paying isn’t a printing question. It’s a variable data printing cost question, and the honest answer depends on numbers most vendors don’t walk a buyer through clearly.